VR development methodology
This article is the last in a series about the qualitative development of VR projects. We have previously studied the principles of content selection for our projects in the article “VR Design: Content of Scenes” . Links to other materials can be found in the review article .
Developing projects with virtual reality is not an easy task, not only because VR is a very young means of communication. The possibilities and limitations of the technology make the development rather complicated.
How to meet these requirements in order to develop good VR projects, we will learn in this article.
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After we went over the main features of the VR development in this series of articles, consider the last, most important for you, as a developer, tool: an iterative development process.
We will also analyze why you cannot always trust yourself and what the term “VR legs” means.
In fact, when developing this kind, it is not worth long and much planning, it is better to constantly test changes and ideas.
During the short development cycles, you will learn how fast everything works and what aspects of the VR project still need to be improved. So you quickly reach your goal and, in most cases, get the best result.
Constant feedback is very important for the development of virtual reality.
The process that I will show you consists of three steps: planning, implementation, and analysis. And he repeats all the time.
At the same time, you develop prototypes, learn with the help of user experience and constantly improve projects with new knowledge.
In fact, cool ideas often arise at random or, as Bob Ross said, thanks to “happy accidents”. There are a huge number of VR projects that have been partially or completely reworked due to the excellent discovery during development.
VR projects cannot be calculated or perfectly planned. Compared to other areas of development, there are few examples and standards for VR that can be caught on.
Having at least a little programming experience, everyone can quickly develop simple prototypes to debug or refine the idea.
But when it comes to the basics, of course, you will need extensive programming knowledge. I advise anyone who wants to work in the field of VR, to master the basic knowledge of programming.
The opportunity to try ideas directly in VR and play with them is already sufficient and can lead to better and more creative solutions.
You start with an idea or TK and plan the first iteration of the project. However, at this point it is worth thinking about what you have to plan and subsequent iterations. What could be the first step you can build?
Save yourself from long and extensive plans. It will take you too much time and, more often, you will have to plan something that you don’t know yet.
Already during the development you will receive answers to your questions. But, most often, at first you still do not know what you will meet with. So, do not stay long in the planning phase and do not try to formulate everything in the smallest detail.
First focus on the central idea , the simplest components of the project. Should it be a virtual archery simulation? Then first concentrate on the interaction of bows and arrows, even before you make the landscape, the menu and the physical calculations.
The overall goal is undoubtedly important, and you should not lose sight of it. This crude separation is enough to navigate solutions during development.
After you have thought over and prepared the next significant step, for example, a new improvement, you should immediately begin to implement it.
You will either develop prototypes - for example, for interaction, which will then be important in the analysis - or to optimize the existing aspect of the project, based on the experience you received during the analysis and planning.
Prototypes are very useful, as you can try out and improve ideas or functionality separately from the rest of the project. This significantly reduces the number of dependencies and the complexity of the project.
During the development phase, you should always keep in focus the currently required part of the project. If, for example, you create a prototype of the interaction of bows and arrows, it is very important that you concentrate on programming the interaction and exclude everything else from sight.
In this situation, you can find the missing component in the Asset Store. In the framework of the example described, you could simply find 3D models for the environment, bows and arrows in this store and incorporate them into your prototype.
Later, when you are satisfied with the mechanics, you can, if necessary, engage in improved graphics.
In fact, you should always concentrate on what you already know and what you like. If this is possible, you will transfer the remaining tasks to others or the Asset Store will help you.
If you are not yet so good at programming, but still would like to debug your first ideas in the virtual world, I will advise you Unity Play Maker , a simple tool for visual programming.
After you have developed a prototype or improved part of your project, the next step comes - tests and analysis.
This third part of the process is very important and is central to the development of high-quality projects. Since only during the tests you will find out what ideas from the planning phase really work in the virtual world.
During this phase, you should always wear VR glasses on yourself and your team and feel the innovations in the project.
But it is also necessary that you, when developing important aspects - for example, the main ways of interaction - attract other people to test the VR sensations and get feedback.
Think about the fact that people react to the virtual world quite differently, and get information about whether they are already immersed in VR.
As the one who often plunges into virtual worlds, develops over time immunity to seasickness. This is often called "VR legs".
On the contrary, people who have never used VR glasses for the first time can be so overwhelmed by new experiences that their reaction to VR disappears.
Often you get ideas that, from the point of view of testers, would be the best solution. Here you need to be careful and not to implement these proposals immediately, but to perceive them as inspiration.
Since testers, unlike you, do not know all the ideas of the project. Here you better understand what is appropriate for the general concept and what is not.
But you have to listen to all the details, if necessary, ask further questions in order to understand the real problem that lies behind the proposal. So how exactly are these comments valuable.
Take them with you to the next planning phase, and you will be inspired by what new ideas and improvements will emerge from this!
At the heart of the VR project is the user experience (UX). If during the development of the project UX all the time improves, then you are on the right track.
After these three phases you have gained a lot of experience. Here the process begins again, the planning phase. Now you can transfer your new knowledge to practice in a new iteration.
The duration of the iteration of these three phases is completely different. From a few minutes - changed the variables and tested the effect - up to a couple of days or even weeks, anything is possible.
In addition, there is no need to severely limit ourselves to the scope of the process and, if this is required by the way of working or the project itself, change the process or develop a new one. It is important that you consciously adhere to the process, but not too strictly.
If you start your VR project and are looking for advice, or you already need feedback for your development, contact me !
Developing projects with virtual reality is not an easy task, not only because VR is a very young means of communication. The possibilities and limitations of the technology make the development rather complicated.
How to meet these requirements in order to develop good VR projects, we will learn in this article.
')
After we went over the main features of the VR development in this series of articles, consider the last, most important for you, as a developer, tool: an iterative development process.
We will also analyze why you cannot always trust yourself and what the term “VR legs” means.
It is a lot of fun.
Joel Green from Cloudhead Games, The Gallery Development Group
Iterative development process
In fact, when developing this kind, it is not worth long and much planning, it is better to constantly test changes and ideas.
During the short development cycles, you will learn how fast everything works and what aspects of the VR project still need to be improved. So you quickly reach your goal and, in most cases, get the best result.
Constant feedback is very important for the development of virtual reality.
The process that I will show you consists of three steps: planning, implementation, and analysis. And he repeats all the time.
At the same time, you develop prototypes, learn with the help of user experience and constantly improve projects with new knowledge.
In fact, cool ideas often arise at random or, as Bob Ross said, thanks to “happy accidents”. There are a huge number of VR projects that have been partially or completely reworked due to the excellent discovery during development.
VR projects cannot be calculated or perfectly planned. Compared to other areas of development, there are few examples and standards for VR that can be caught on.
Having at least a little programming experience, everyone can quickly develop simple prototypes to debug or refine the idea.
But when it comes to the basics, of course, you will need extensive programming knowledge. I advise anyone who wants to work in the field of VR, to master the basic knowledge of programming.
The opportunity to try ideas directly in VR and play with them is already sufficient and can lead to better and more creative solutions.
1: Planning
You start with an idea or TK and plan the first iteration of the project. However, at this point it is worth thinking about what you have to plan and subsequent iterations. What could be the first step you can build?
Save yourself from long and extensive plans. It will take you too much time and, more often, you will have to plan something that you don’t know yet.
Already during the development you will receive answers to your questions. But, most often, at first you still do not know what you will meet with. So, do not stay long in the planning phase and do not try to formulate everything in the smallest detail.
First focus on the central idea , the simplest components of the project. Should it be a virtual archery simulation? Then first concentrate on the interaction of bows and arrows, even before you make the landscape, the menu and the physical calculations.
The overall goal is undoubtedly important, and you should not lose sight of it. This crude separation is enough to navigate solutions during development.
... does it.
Then develop an experience around that.
Patrick Hackett from Skillman & Hackett (Tilt Brush)
2: Implementation
After you have thought over and prepared the next significant step, for example, a new improvement, you should immediately begin to implement it.
You will either develop prototypes - for example, for interaction, which will then be important in the analysis - or to optimize the existing aspect of the project, based on the experience you received during the analysis and planning.
Prototypes are very useful, as you can try out and improve ideas or functionality separately from the rest of the project. This significantly reduces the number of dependencies and the complexity of the project.
During the development phase, you should always keep in focus the currently required part of the project. If, for example, you create a prototype of the interaction of bows and arrows, it is very important that you concentrate on programming the interaction and exclude everything else from sight.
In this situation, you can find the missing component in the Asset Store. In the framework of the example described, you could simply find 3D models for the environment, bows and arrows in this store and incorporate them into your prototype.
Later, when you are satisfied with the mechanics, you can, if necessary, engage in improved graphics.
In fact, you should always concentrate on what you already know and what you like. If this is possible, you will transfer the remaining tasks to others or the Asset Store will help you.
If you are not yet so good at programming, but still would like to debug your first ideas in the virtual world, I will advise you Unity Play Maker , a simple tool for visual programming.
Try to make as many different prototypes as you can. There's a lot of discovery.
Justin Liebregts from Futuretown (Cloudlands: VR Minigolf)
3: Analysis
After you have developed a prototype or improved part of your project, the next step comes - tests and analysis.
This third part of the process is very important and is central to the development of high-quality projects. Since only during the tests you will find out what ideas from the planning phase really work in the virtual world.
During this phase, you should always wear VR glasses on yourself and your team and feel the innovations in the project.
But it is also necessary that you, when developing important aspects - for example, the main ways of interaction - attract other people to test the VR sensations and get feedback.
Think about the fact that people react to the virtual world quite differently, and get information about whether they are already immersed in VR.
As the one who often plunges into virtual worlds, develops over time immunity to seasickness. This is often called "VR legs".
You can never know how good something's
go to be in VR until you try it out ...
Alex Schwartz from Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator 2050)
On the contrary, people who have never used VR glasses for the first time can be so overwhelmed by new experiences that their reaction to VR disappears.
Often you get ideas that, from the point of view of testers, would be the best solution. Here you need to be careful and not to implement these proposals immediately, but to perceive them as inspiration.
Since testers, unlike you, do not know all the ideas of the project. Here you better understand what is appropriate for the general concept and what is not.
But you have to listen to all the details, if necessary, ask further questions in order to understand the real problem that lies behind the proposal. So how exactly are these comments valuable.
Take them with you to the next planning phase, and you will be inspired by what new ideas and improvements will emerge from this!
At the heart of the VR project is the user experience (UX). If during the development of the project UX all the time improves, then you are on the right track.
... and again and again!
After these three phases you have gained a lot of experience. Here the process begins again, the planning phase. Now you can transfer your new knowledge to practice in a new iteration.
The duration of the iteration of these three phases is completely different. From a few minutes - changed the variables and tested the effect - up to a couple of days or even weeks, anything is possible.
In addition, there is no need to severely limit ourselves to the scope of the process and, if this is required by the way of working or the project itself, change the process or develop a new one. It is important that you consciously adhere to the process, but not too strictly.
Try to think of everything as new.
Joachim Holmér from Neat Corp (Budget Cuts)
If you start your VR project and are looking for advice, or you already need feedback for your development, contact me !
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/326392/
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